


Gotta get Los Angeles out of me

by pseudofoucault333



Category: Star Trek RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Celebrities, Cheating, Children, Denial, Divorce, Extended Families, F/M, In the closet!Zach, Joe trying to intervene but not always helping, Karl being a house husband to Anton's sucessful career, Los Angeles, M/M, New York City, Partner Betrayal, Past Relationship(s), Queer Families, Secrets, Sexual Content, Unconventional Families, Unconventional Relationship, Unrequited Love, Zach as the guy who never got over being asked to be a dirty little secret, Zach being pulled back to LA because of Joe, chris as gay poster boy for LA, move from LA to NY and back again, out the closet! chris
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-11-10
Updated: 2012-11-09
Packaged: 2017-11-18 08:11:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/558771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pseudofoucault333/pseuds/pseudofoucault333
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zach and Chris have been apart for seven years after their disastrous break up, each raising their own child in circumstances they would never have considered before on other ends of the country. But when Zach is pulled back to LA for work and Chris is slowly getting over his gap year between husband and divorcee they find themselves thrown back together again. But after Chris’ betrayal can Zach let the blue-eyed male he loved for so long walk back into his life so easily?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gotta get Los Angeles out of me

**Title:** Gotta get Los Angeles out of me  
 **Author:** **lovin_torture**  
 **Rating:** R -NC17  
 **Pairing:** Pinto [central], Zach/Tyler, Chris/Olivia, Chris/Beau [mentioned], Chris/OMC Karlton, Zoe/OMC, John/Kerri, Joe/OFC  
 **POV:** 3rd  
 **Summary:** Zach and Chris have been apart for seven years after their disastrous break up, each raising their own child in circumstances they would never have considered before on other ends of the country. But when Zach is pulled back to LA for work and Chris is slowly getting over his gap year between husband and divorcee they find themselves thrown back together again. But after Chris’ betrayal can Zach let the blue-eyed male he loved for so long walk back into his life so easily?  
 **Disclaimer:** Mr. Quinto and Mr. Pine both belong to me *evil laugh* Nah I wish....I probably couldn't afford them...they belong only to themselves ~~andeachother~~ with only the kids [aside from Hunter and Kage obviously], Molly, Riley, Caitlyn, Maxim belonging to me. Plot mostly based on fiction…i.e not real….but a girl can wish <3 title © Butch walker.  
 **Author Notes:** Another piece of fan fic I started writing ages ago when I should have been writing something else, it seems to be a habit with me unfortunately :/ . It was written _before_ Mr. Quinto walked out the closet last year but regardless I like the way it's going, because I can so see Mr. Quinto as a father :D, enough that I'm not going to change it :) Hope you guys enjoy and don't be afraid to tell me what you think :)

Waking up early on a weekday was something had become normal in the Quinto household for the past seven years and while Zach would maintain he had been an early riser when he had a role to play or meeting to go to even he had to admit that getting up at five am to take Noah for a walk with his son without the paps following was a bit much. Unfortunately it had been a promise he had been keeping with said son since he was three.

“Dad! Come on before it gets much later!”

The sound of his son’s voice yelling from the other side of the house pulled him from his thoughts of which of his many jackets to wear. 

“Z calm down and stop drinking that soda. Ms. Elma won’t be happy if you turn up hyper again.” He called back, picking his signature black coat as the boy appeared in the doorway practically bouncing on the soles of his converse sneakers.

“I wasn't drinking any soda.” The seven-year-old claimed, running into the room and launching himself on to his father’s double bed causing Zach to sigh as he slipped on the coat. He managed to stop him from getting to his feet and jumping up and down on it by grabbing his son around the waist and picking him up causing the child to giggle and squeal playfully until he was put down on the floor.

The incriminating stain of grape soda stuck around his son’s mouth made Zach roll his eyes as he steered him into the bathroom and used a damp washcloth to wipe the stain away while his son grin sheepishly.

“Get your coat now and I’ll go fetch Noah.” Zach said with a grin after throwing the washcloth back into the sink.

He watched his hyper son make a run back into his bedroom as he retreated downstairs to rouse both Noah and Harold who had long since got used to the interruption at such an early time. He poured Harold some food and coaxed Noah to stand still long enough to put his lead on with a treat which Noah was still chewing on when the young Quinto appeared down the stairs.

“Zen, you ready to go?” asked Zach looking him over.

His son nodded eagerly before Zach let Zen take the lead from him and watched as Noah practically dragged Zen out the front door and down the stairs of their townhouse. Zach took a while to lock up the house before following at a quick pace, tugging at the lead when he caught up to calm Noah down before looking around cautiously as they started the walk to the end of the block. He couldn't stop himself from looking around for paps despite the early hour; it was a habit he seemed to have acquired that there was no getting rid of his time in LA so long ago. But while in New York, the amount of pap firms were less, they still always seemed to know where to find him, especially at lunch time even if he changed his plans at the last minute. He rested his arm around Zen’s shoulders to shield him if a random pap appeared and let him pick the walk for the morning. Luckily that walk led them towards one of the three Starbucks within walking distance of their house. Zach went inside to order their drinks quickly, making sure Zen hid himself out of pap view, the two them downing the scalding drinks on the way home. 

From the moment they got in the door it was the same routine they had had for as long as either could remember. Zen sat at the counter having breakfast leaving Zach to feed Noah and then go shower and change for the series of meetings he had scheduled with production companies. Zen would supervise Noah out in the garden after gathering his books, grabbing his lunch and making sure his bag was ready for the day while Zach synchronized the schedule for all of his meetings from his laptop to his blackberry including recent emails. Noah would then be ushered inside and Zach would lead Zen to the car for the ride to school. The two would then part at Zen’s school, Zach assuring his son he would try to pick him up after school this time though they both knew there was a good chance his grandmother would be the one picking him up while he was in a meeting as was often the case. 

Then Zach would begin the drive into the city, only to get stuck in traffic and sit behind the wheel checking his email. This morning, as he was doing just that, he got several offers for jobs in LA including one from Joe that said he had been getting them on his behalf over the past few months and there was always going to be more work for him, behind as well as in front of the camera, in LA that he couldn't avoid it anymore. 

Zach sighed as he closed the message and looked over the twenty five other messages in his inbox. He really hated to admit it but his brother was right. True he had done a fair bit of work in New York but the opportunities were always going to be in LA where he was the big name and not just another guy pitching an idea no-one wanted to hear. Only thing was he didn't really want to pick up and move if he could get away with. Then there was Zen to consider, his son only knew New York and part of him wanted it to stay that way. He heard a honk behind him and pushed the blackberry back into its perch on the dashboard before driving the small gap between cars. 

Still there was a big part of Zach that was really protective of his son and he knew what LA could do to someone who hadn't been brought up there. Tear them up and spit them out with their heart and soul in shreds. And he didn't want Zen to see a place like that, let alone see Zach himself being so vulnerable. Because how Zach got Zen was a closely guarded secret and he wanted to keep it that way especially since he made such a big fuss to Chris about only being with Olivia because he’d got her pregnant. But deep in the back of his mind he had always wanted a child. But being a gay man he couldn't exactly go about it the same way as heterosexual couples and even adoption had been an awkward option since he was a single gay man not exactly looking for a significant other after his failed relationship. However when Rachel had come over to New York to check up with him into his first six months, he found himself confiding to her about his want for a child when he was completely and utterly drunk along with all the Chris stuff she’d had no idea about. So the next morning when he was sober Rachel agreed to be the surrogate mother of Zach’s child. He had been gobsmacked and assured her he wasn’t hinting at anything when he mentioned it which she assured him she understood but she was still willing to go through with it.

Zach had made sure she met both his mother and his brother and told both of them what they were planning, admittedly neither had really jumped for joy at the idea, but they both understood his need to have a child in his life. Nine months later he had a tiny screaming Zen Joe Quinto in his arms and was looking at Rachel like she had given him the most precious gift he had ever been given before. She had assured him she was happy to give him full custody and would only see Zen when he was a teenager and old enough to understand that she hadn't abandoned him because she didn't love her son but because she knew Zach would always be the best parent he could need in his life. Not to say that Rachel completely cut off contact with them afterwards, Zach still kept her in the loop with photographs, report cards and the like and in return every birthday she put a thousand dollars into the trust fund Zach set up for him which he wouldn't be able to touch until he was twenty one. Despite all this of course when she married Scott and the truth came to light he hadn't been happy at Rachel doing something like for a friend. One of the few reasons, which were never released to the press about their divorce, thankfully. He didn't want Zen to read all about that in a tabloid and that was exactly what was going to happen if he gave in.

There was only one option; he needed to talk to his mother about this before he began to even consider the pack up.

That thought stuck with him throughout the rest of the day until he had a two hour gap between his meetings, enough time for him to drive to his mother’s place. Margo Quinto had moved from Zach and Joe’s childhood home in Philadelphia during the last few months of Rachel’s pregnancy to help Zach get prepared for the role of fatherhood. After one particular moment where he was so stressed at the thought of not being a good father he’d locked himself in his bathroom during Rachel’s Antenatal Classes. She knew he would need someone to keep him grounded and remind him he wasn't alone, that she and Joe were there for him if he needed them. Since then she had lived on the outskirts of Brooklyn, making coffees part time and growing her own vegetables to sell at market on the weekends. On most afternoons or when Zach was busy working on a set she would pick up and look after her grandson until her son could pick him up. Something which Zach was really grateful for, he wasn't sure he would have been able to cope without her support.

He managed to make it to her house to see her car parked in the driveway meaning she wasn't working that day and from the sound of acoustic guitar music from the back yard as he got out the car she was probably working on her vegetable patch. He pushed his blackberry in his pocket and locked the car before walking through the gate into the back yard. Just as he expected his mother was knelt before the patch with a bucket beside her filled with carrots and potatoes, a bowl filled with new seeds to plant in the vacated spots and a radio, the source of the music, rested on the back door step beside an undoubtedly cold cup of tea.

“Hey Mom,” Zach smiled, approaching her and pressing a kiss to her cheek causing her to look up from putting a seed in a recently dug hole and smile when she caught sight of him.

“Zachary, dear aren't you supposed to be on the job hunt right now?” Margo asked, taking a glance at the gold watch hanging loosely around the wrist of her dirt coated hand.

“I am but I decided to take a break and come see you.” Zach said with a smile though the look his mother gave him screamed she didn't believe him.

She sighed as she brushed the stray dirt from her fingers and pushed herself upright, leaving Zach to follow her lead into the house, watching her pause to pick up her cold cup of tea from the doorstep on the way.

“Want to tell me what brought on this sudden visit?” Margo asked, putting her cup on the counter once she emptied it and moving to wash her hands in the sink as Zach sat at the kitchen table, playing nervously with his blackberry.

“It’s something Joe said today.”

Margo stopped from lathering her fingers vigorously with liquid soap and looked over her shoulder at her younger son’s uncertain expression.

“What has he said this time?” she asked, turning back towards the sink to wash off the soap and scrub her nails free of dirt. There had been many things that Joe often lectured his younger brother about, anything from moving on to a new relationship, to keeping contact with any number of his Californian friends to moving back to Los Angeles to get his career back on track. It was sometimes hard to keep track of which Zach was referring to.

“He‘s suggested I go back to LA.” 

Margo sighed softly as she finally dried off her hands and filled the kettle, setting a mug for Zach beside her own before sitting beside him at the table.

“Has he been getting more job offers for you?” she asked, tilting her head as Zach squirmed under her gaze like he had when he was a child.

“Yeah, he’s been forwarding most of them to me for the past week. I got twenty five of them in my inbox this morning, which makes a change from all the brushing aside I’m getting here at the moment.” Zach said, biting his lip as he batted his phone from one hand to the other and back again in front of him.

“So are you actually considering packing up and moving back there?” Margo asked, getting up when she heard the kettle boil to pour water into the cups and grab a tin of homemade cookies from the cupboard. She put both the tin and Zach’s cup of green tea on the table first before turning back to grab her own.

“I don’t know Mom. I mean I know I should. I should be going where the work is because I can’t keep living off my savings to pay for Zen’s school fees let alone for groceries. But I don’t want to go back there...” Zach sighed, finally setting his blackberry down and toyed with the string of his teabag instead.

“...because he’s still there.” Margo said understandingly, taking a sip of her tea and opening the tin to offer the contents to Zach.

He ignored the cookies but nodded silently.

“Zachary, I know you will never get over what Christopher did to you. I know you still love him even if you swear on your father’s grave that you don’t. But maybe it’s time you go back to the city that can guarantee you work, you need to think of what’s best for Zen.” Margo said taking a cookie from the tin and dipping it into her tea before taking a bite.

“But how is going to LA best for Zen, Mom? I don’t want him to become like all the other Hollywood brats, to become the subject of tabloids as they speculate over who his mother is because you know as well as I do that they will. I don’t want Zen to see how Chris can affect me still, how he can break me down and make me become a blubbering mess.” Zach said avoiding his mother’s gaze.

“Which is understandable. But if you are going to LA to work, and something tells me you will, you can’t leave him behind with me. Rachel didn't give you custody of him so you could leave him behind. He is always going to need you; no matter what state you go to, where you work or who you have relationships with.” 

“I know that. I’m just really not sure I could handle being back there. I’d be moving back into the house I shared with him Mom, seeing our mutual friends and maybe even working with him again.” Zach said softly taking a sip of his tea.

“Sweetheart you can’t keep dwelling on the past. You have to be brave for Zen’s sake.” Margo hushed, downing the last of her first biscuit before grabbing another one.

“I know.” Zach murmured, setting his cup back on the oak table and burying his face in his crossed forearms.

“Look, whatever you decide I’ll support you Zachary. Joe will still be there to help you with Zen and if you ever want to take a breather from LA, or you need me to come and look after Zen while you’re out the country and Joe is busy then just call me and I’ll be on the first plane.” Margo said reassuringly, pressing a kiss to Zach’s forehead as his gaze remained buried on the surface of the table.

“Thanks Mom.” He murmured, his fingers curling back around the porcelain surface of his mug as his blackberry began to beep a warning that he needed to be going to his next meeting.

“Now I’ll leave you to finish your tea and put on that perfect smile you use to impress producers while I get back to work. I’m assuming I’m still picking up Zen from school?” Margo asked, getting to her feet with her cooling cup of tea in one hand.

“Please. I’ll come and pick him up earlier though providing I've made up my mind.” Zach said hoarsely as he pushed himself upright in his chair.

“ OK, I’ll see you then.” Margo smiled.

Zach offered her a small smile as he watched her retreat out the back door, sighing as he quickly downed his tea, grabbed a few cookies and left the way he had entered, letting his mind try to fixate on his next meeting more than a potential plan that had been brought to the front of his mind by his elder brother.


End file.
